Folk singer Peter Yarrow -- of "Peter, Paul and Mary" fame -- played some politically themed tunes such as "If I Had A Hammer," "Which Side Are You On," "Blowin' In The Wind" and more, and spoke of his hopes that the current crisis in Madison would reawaken in people the urge to achieve social justice that animated people during the civil rights movement. And like his audience, Yarrow often worked "Kill The Bill" and other slogans into the lyrics. (Nostalgia for my childhood made me wish for "Puff The Magic Dragon," but I suppose it wasn't germane.)

Oh, yeah, it's so sweet that he entertained children with his magic dragon. If you know what I mean. And I think you do. As Meade wrote over there in the comments:

Imagine the outcry in major media and the lefty blogosphere if the Tea Party invited to sing at one of their rallies someone who had committed and was convicted of [making sexual advances toward] a 14 year-old and got a light sentence of 3 months because he had friends in high places who used their influence on his behalf.

I wanted to dig up the old NYT report of Jimmy Clinton's Carter's beneficence toward the entertainer of children, and I stumbled across this interesting bit from a review of Robert Shrum's "Concessions of a Serial Campaigner":

Shrum relates the campaign's collective sigh of relief when the networks declined to show footage of Kerry at an Iowa party jokingly miming a toke while Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary sang ''Puff the Magic Dragon''....

How nice — how typical — of the reporters to help the Democratic candidate. Here's something about Yarrow. Anyway, why wasn't there someone more impressive who wanted to be seen at yesterday's rally? Why Yarrow? And why not some better celebrities from the entertainment and political worlds?

Yarrow followed 13-year-old Sam Frederick of Wauwatosa, who wrote an anti-Walker protest song for the occasion and led the crowd in singing it. In between, organizers shoveled snow off the outdoor stage.

The "not official UW Marching Band" — tuba and trumpet blaring — played standards like "If You Want to Be a Badger" and the chicken song...

Man, that's small time! And look at how lame it was. Meade recorded this half a block from the stage:

In another part of the recording, when I first hear it, I say: "Is Cat Stevens here? This guy needs to project a little more."

Why weren't there better celebrities? Perhaps there are inside polls on how this protest is playing out around the country and people don't want their names dragged into it.

Did he sing "Turn, Turn, Turn"? Read without the philosophy of history, of course, the song, and Solomon's wisdom, implies that the world will ever be thus. It is not true that the time for war, hate, etc was the past, and the time for love, pease, etc. is now and forever in the future. Read that way, it could cut against the government unions.

I seem to remember his getting a pardon from Jimmy Carter for that offense not that it matters. If I'm not mistaken the offense occurred in Washington which gave Carter that option. Does anyone else remember?

"In 1970, Yarrow was convicted of, and served three months in prison for, taking "improper liberties" with a 14-year-old female fan. He has since apologized for the incident: "In that time, it was common practice, unfortunately –– the whole groupie thing."[19][20][21] President Carter later granted him clemency for the incident."

I come from that time, I never did that and don't know anybody that did.

I'm a liberal,and I thought him singing was a bit of a '60's cliche. Also, he's 100. His voice is shot. However, the video of him you took makes it appear like it was totally ineffectual, which is not true at all. If you were in front of the area where he was singing, it was packed and loud, though all that did was make his weak voice sound loud and thin. The main speakers for the event (union folks and Brad Whitford) were very effective.

Why weren't there better celebrities? Perhaps there are inside polls on how this protest is playing out around the country and people don't want their names dragged into it.

Maybe it's just because most people, including liberal celebrities, really don't care that much about what's going on in Wisconsin, and particularly aren't interested in paying a visit during winter. No offense, but I can go for months not thinking about Wisconsin. Years even.

And yeah, picking Yarrow as a musical guest is really lame and a cliche. I sure as hell wouldn't have done that. As far as his creepiness goes, he sounds pretty gross, but a penchant for questionable relationships isn't something that's unique to liberal celebrities.

From the fabulous American playwright Damid Mamet’s famous 2008 manifesto “David Mamet: Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal' :An election-season essay” (http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-03-11/news/why-i-am-no-longer-a-brain-dead-liberal/) wherein he announces his awakening from being a brain dead liberal:I took the liberal view for many decades, but I believe I have changed my mind.As a child of the '60s, I accepted as an article of faith that government is corrupt, that business is exploitative, and that people are generally good at heart.These cherished precepts had, over the years, become ingrained as increasingly impracticable prejudices. Why do I say impracticable? Because although I still held these beliefs, I no longer applied them in my life. How do I know? My wife informed me. We were riding along and listening to NPR. I felt my facial muscles tightening, and the words beginning to form in my mind: Shut the fuck up. "?" she prompted. And her terse, elegant summation, as always, awakened me to a deeper truth: I had been listening to NPR and reading various organs of national opinion for years, wonder and rage contending for pride of place. Further: I found I had been—rather charmingly, I thought—referring to myself for years as "a brain-dead liberal," and to NPR as "National Palestinian Radio."This is, to me, the synthesis of this worldview with which I now found myself disenchanted: that everything is always wrong.But in my life, a brief review revealed, everything was not always wrong, and neither was nor is always wrong in the community in which I live, or in my country. Further, it was not always wrong in previous communities in which I lived, and among the various and mobile classes of which I was at various times a part.And, I wondered, how could I have spent decades thinking that I thought everything was always wrong at the same time that I thought I thought that people were basically good at heart? Which was it? I began to question what I actually thought and found that I do not think that people are basically good at heart; indeed, that view of human nature has both prompted and informed my writing for the last 40 years. I think that people, in circumstances of stress, can behave like swine, and that this, indeed, is not only a fit subject, but the only subject, of drama.BTW – Ann and Meade – I have completely appreciated your viewpoint communiqués” concerning the Madison scene. You make me believe in a lot of things again – most suprisinlgy – you make me believe that lawyerly thinking really can be nurtured in our modern discourse. Thanks and keep doing what you do… you guys are NINJAS - and I am not worried anymore that I think you assigned me the unwanted avatar on your blog as a nun because my husband told me I must have done it myself back when I engaged in a debate about the “Everyone Draw Mohammed” event. Sorry I was mad about it in an earlier comment (and I have only commented like five times in my entire life) …..like Emily Latilla said……”Nevermind” : - )

From the fabulous American playwright Damid Mamet’s famous 2008 manifesto “David Mamet: Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal' :An election-season essay” (http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-03-11/news/why-i-am-no-longer-a-brain-dead-liberal/) wherein he announces his awakening from being a brain dead liberal:

"I took the liberal view for many decades, but I believe I have changed my mind.

As a child of the '60s, I accepted as an article of faith that government is corrupt, that business is exploitative, and that people are generally good at heart.These cherished precepts had, over the years, become ingrained as increasingly impracticable prejudices. Why do I say impracticable? Because although I still held these beliefs, I no longer applied them in my life. How do I know? My wife informed me. We were riding along and listening to NPR. I felt my facial muscles tightening, and the words beginning to form in my mind: Shut the fuck up. "?" she prompted. And her terse, elegant summation, as always, awakened me to a deeper truth: I had been listening to NPR and reading various organs of national opinion for years, wonder and rage contending for pride of place. Further: I found I had been—rather charmingly, I thought—referring to myself for years as "a brain-dead liberal," and to NPR as "National Palestinian Radio."

This is, to me, the synthesis of this worldview with which I now found myself disenchanted: that everything is always wrong.

But in my life, a brief review revealed, everything was not always wrong, and neither was nor is always wrong in the community in which I live, or in my country. Further, it was not always wrong in previous communities in which I lived, and among the various and mobile classes of which I was at various times a part.

And, I wondered, how could I have spent decades thinking that I thought everything was always wrong at the same time that I thought I thought that people were basically good at heart? Which was it? I began to question what I actually thought and found that I do not think that people are basically good at heart; indeed, that view of human nature has both prompted and informed my writing for the last 40 years. I think that people, in circumstances of stress, can behave like swine, and that this, indeed, is not only a fit subject, but the only subject, of drama." (Mamet - all him)

BTW – Ann and Meade – I have completely appreciated your viewpoint communiqués” concerning the Madison scene. You make me believe in a lot of things again – most suprisinlgy – you make me believe that lawyerly thinking really can be nurtured in our modern discourse. Thanks and keep doing what you do… you guys are NINJAS - and I am not worried anymore that I think you assigned me the unwanted avatar on your blog as a nun because my husband told me I must have done it myself back when I engaged in a debate about the “Everyone Draw Mohammed” event.

Sorry I was mad about it in an earlier comment (and I have only commented like five times in my entire life) …..like Emily Latilla said……”Nevermind” : - )

When I was going to computer school in Vallejo, CA 1981 a CPO gave me a lift downtown and he was playin' heavy metal music on his radio which threw me for a loop 'cause I had gotten the (((wrong))) impression every Chief P.O. in the navy was a yahoo who listened to country music.

That die hard Rep friend of mine who I mentioned recently was a Springsteen fan much like myself, which is pretty much the only thing we had in common.

Re: AA's vote for Obama, as her recent constant damnation of everything he does indicates, the bloom is off her rose, so to speak. And she would probably say everybody is entitled to (1) mistake politically.

Of course, I could be wrong and she is free to correct me.

>

bottom line Obama must have "fooled" (((69.5))) million voters, (7.5) million more than voted for cheney/bush.

I give Meade credit for wading into those comments to post an opinion.

As I read through them, I became fascinated with the comments with one particular poster who - in his eagerness to bash Republicans as bigots - managed to display bigotry and/or ignorance against women, gays, religons (several), regional cultures (again several), educational backgrounds and different age groups.

PS some phony folksy (another pseudonym of shiloh/PB&J probably) thinks he made some devastating point at his link.

Hah! Edutcher thinks that I'm using other pseudonyms to post here. How funny. Sorry, there's just one of me here. By the way, if a nickname like "some phony folksy" is going to work - it should have some relationship to how I actually write. I don't think my delivery is very folksy. Better luck next time, big chief.

Ratings have been dropping 'cause of more competition ie a gazillion channels and 24/7 cable/internet coverage of the entertainment industry.

Again, the bloom is off the rose as Hollywood celebrities once upon a time had a certain mystique a joie de vivre/je ne sais quoi lol now w/round the clock saturation of actors/celebrities their just not that interesting, plus many record the Oscars and watch later.

And you don't even have to record it as you can download the torrent a couple hours after the broadcast is over.

PS some phony folksy (another pseudonym of shiloh/PB&J probably) thinks he made some devastating point at his link.

Hah! Edutcher thinks that I'm using other pseudonyms to post here. How funny. Sorry, there's just one of me here. By the way, if a nickname like "some phony folksy" is going to work - it should have some relationship to how I actually write. I don't think my delivery is very folksy. Better luck next time, big chief.

And his devastating point was???

PS Only 1 network carries the Oscars, just like the Super Bowl. If people wanted to watch, they would.

From the fabulous American playwright Damid Mamet’s famous 2008 manifesto “David Mamet: Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal' :An election-season essay” (http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-03-11/news/why-i-am-no-longer-a-brain-dead-liberal/) wherein he announces his awakening from being a brain dead liberal:

I took the liberal view for many decades, but I believe I have changed my mind.

As a child of the '60s, I accepted as an article of faith that government is corrupt, that business is exploitative, and that people are generally good at heart.These cherished precepts had, over the years, become ingrained as increasingly impracticable prejudices. Why do I say impracticable? Because although I still held these beliefs, I no longer applied them in my life. How do I know? My wife informed me. We were riding along and listening to NPR. I felt my facial muscles tightening, and the words beginning to form in my mind: Shut the fuck up. "?" she prompted. And her terse, elegant summation, as always, awakened me to a deeper truth: I had been listening to NPR and reading various organs of national opinion for years, wonder and rage contending for pride of place. Further: I found I had been—rather charmingly, I thought—referring to myself for years as "a brain-dead liberal," and to NPR as "National Palestinian Radio."This is, to me, the synthesis of this worldview with which I now found myself disenchanted: that everything is always wrong.

But in my life, a brief review revealed, everything was not always wrong, and neither was nor is always wrong in the community in which I live, or in my country. Further, it was not always wrong in previous communities in which I lived, and among the various and mobile classes of which I was at various times a part.

And, I wondered, how could I have spent decades thinking that I thought everything was always wrong at the same time that I thought I thought that people were basically good at heart? Which was it? I began to question what I actually thought and found that I do not think that people are basically good at heart; indeed, that view of human nature has both prompted and informed my writing for the last 40 years. I think that people, in circumstances of stress, can behave like swine, and that this, indeed, is not only a fit subject, but the only subject, of drama.

BTW – Ann and Meade – I have completely appreciated your viewpoint communiqués” concerning the Madison scene. You make me believe in a lot of things again – most suprisinlgy – you make me believe that lawyerly thinking really can be nurtured in our modern discourse.

Thanks and keep doing what you do… you guys are NINJAS - and I am not worried anymore that I think you assigned me the unwanted avatar on your blog as a nun because my husband told me I must have done it myself back when I engaged in a debate about the “Everyone Draw Mohammed” event.

Sorry I was mad about it in an earlier comment (and I have only commented like five times in my entire life) …..like Emily Latilla said……”Nevermind” : - )

Your comment might make sense if I claimed to make some devastating point. I didn't do so. I merely pointed out that rock star grossness doesn't appear to be just a liberal phenomenon, as a throwaway line at the end of a comment. Perhaps you aren't familiar with the guitar hero awesomeness that is the Nuge. And I also said the choice of Yarrow was lame. But I don't think that's a devastating point, either, nor did I claim it to be. Reading comprehension, my dear boy, reading comprehension!

Your comment might make sense if I claimed to make some devastating point. I didn't do so. I merely pointed out that rock star grossness doesn't appear to be just a liberal phenomenon, as a throwaway line at the end of a comment. Perhaps you aren't familiar with the guitar hero awesomeness that is the Nuge. And I also said the choice of Yarrow was lame. But I don't think that's a devastating point, either, nor did I claim it to be. Reading comprehension, my dear boy, reading comprehension!

All I saw was a page from a book with Kool Keith (who?), Malcolm McLaren (also who?), and Elvis, who never made his politics known.

There was video here of Tom Morello, from Rage Against The Machine, saying some stupid shit but they took it down. I know it was there because I saved the link. They must've got word he sounded like an ass.

There's a wonderful old piece by Andrew Ferguson, editor of the Weekly Standard, relating how as a reporter he went out of his way to cover an anti-gulf-war rally because he heard Peter, Paul and Mary were there to perform civil disobedience. Ferguson said he wanted to be witness to the people responsible for "Puff the Magic Dragon" getting arrested and hauled off to jail.

For what it's worth, I note that Dylan was mentioned (once!). The only partisan political preference for an candidate I ever heard Dylan give was to say that he admired Barry Goldwater. Now THAT doesn't get mentioned often, does it?

The Oscars does remind us how quiet the celebs have been on this, probably because they are private school parents. Even they understand the definition of hypocrite. "Embarrassed" is a good term to describe how we should feel for all of these sad sad excuses for "workers". Among other terms, that is...

I used to contribute to an online humor site which made lists of gags on various topics. The topic was "updated folk songs" and the guest moderator was Peter Yarrow. My entry, "Mumia, the Doe-Eyed Cop Killer" was not well received.

And the great thing about always telling the truth on the net, etc. is no one can ever catch you in a lie ie one has to have a very good memory if they are constantly lying, eh. As it's always fun at a political blog to catch the opposition lying about their personal life.

Indeed, as there are many Walter Mitty's roaming the universe, and the internet provides the perfect vehicle for them to play.

Coincidentally Fen is looking more and more like a Walter Mitty type daily.

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but, but, but it can be fun playin' w/Fen if you don't take him too seriously.